Political science, not political science-fiction. A student-run magazine at Binghamton University.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the United States’ largest program aimed at combating hunger. However, it is currently under attack by the Trump administration, and millions of Americans are at risk of their welfare benefits being cut.
Elections in the United States are dominated by a two-party system with Democrats on the centre-left and Republicans on the centre-right. Although there are other parties, they receive negligible amounts of support and often fail to win any significant elections. For voters who support third parties, elections can be frustrating, as it seems like there is no good outcome when casting a vote.
The numbers don’t lie: the U.S. labor market is languishing. Sifting through the revised, retracted, and re-revised labor statistics of the past few months, a dispiriting picture emerges. There was a net loss of jobs in June, for the first time since the winter of 2020.
The United States’ current health policy has undergone significant changes since President Trump took office. The Trump administration’s approach to health policy is marked by a mix of ambitious reforms and internal contradictions. Central to this dynamic is the tense debate surrounding the administration’s approach to vaccinations, coupled with Trump’s seemingly contradictory mission to Make American Healthy Again (MAHA).
In recent years, there has been increased buzz over the United States becoming the first UN member state to recognize the independence of the self-declared state of Somaliland. In March 2022, Somalilander leaders met with members of Congress and the Biden administration to lobby for American recognition of their aspirational state. Citing growing Chinese influence in the Horn of Africa and the success of Somaliland’s democracy as opposed to Somalia’s failed state, Somalilander has made the case for recognition on the grounds of guaranteeing stability and US influence in the region
Canadians, originally not due for new elections until October 20 of this year, will go to the polls on April 28, 2025, in a snap election called for by new Canadian Prime Minister (PM) and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney. Carney will face Conservative Party leader and member of parliament (MP) Pierre Poilievre, who, until recently, had successfully campaigned against the incumbent Liberal government to achieve a significant lead in the polls.
A discrepancy exists between the United States’ original mission of independence and the fate faced by its subjected territories and nations. This is particularly evident in the United States’ campaign in the Philippines.
What makes a nation successful? By what metrics do we measure how well a nation is doing? As an alternative to GDP, a government’s competency in promising and fulfilling its obligations to its population could be a better metric of success.
The extreme turbulence of the early 2000s along with the missteps of leadership by politicians created a larger problem – an overall loss of faith in government by some. The 2000s can be pinpointed as a shift in view for many Americans, splitting the American political sphere into various factions that have only continued to grow to this day.
The WGA Strike of 2023 will undoubtedly be remembered for many years to come. Not only did the union achieve improvements for American writers, but the outcome of the deal will be felt across the country.
After months of petitions, rallies, and writing campaigns, the GSEU and Binghamton University settled on increases in pay for some graduate workers set to be implemented in the Fall of 2023. But this is not the happy ending it might seem to be. It’s only the start of a larger struggle for better conditions.
Congress enacted the Presidential Records Act (PRA) in 1978 initially as a reaction to the Richard Nixon Watergate scandal and a dispute over his presidential records. The new legislation essentially changed the legal ownership of presidential records from private to public; the records belonged to the United States government rather than the President himself. It also laid out the process of filing records and what happens after a President’s term comes to an end.
In an unprecedented turn of events, Donald Trump, the former president and current presidential candidate, finds himself in uncharted waters, becoming the first U.S. president to be indicted while simultaneously dealing with multiple other major legal cases and federal felony counts.
In 2018, Danish ship Venta Maersk completed its maiden voyage from Southeast Asia to Europe through the Arctic. Stocked up with frozen fish from Russia and electronics from South Korea, Venta Maersk was the first container ship to successfully traverse the Northeast Passage.
Over the course of American history, there have been efforts to ensure all citizens have the right to vote. However, there is still one final group in the United States that has been unfairly disenfranchised: former felons.
In last year’s 117th Congress, 139 out of 535 elected officials (~25%) refused to acknowledge the existence of climate change. It is important to note that these 139 representatives have collectively received $61 million in lifetime contributions from the coal, oil, and gas industries.
While there is likely no single reform that could solve all the problems with American politics, it could be good to look at some alternative voting systems that could be implemented in the United States. The majoritarian electoral system used in the US is not the only type that is used across the world, after all.
From candy wrappers to how we educate our children, the culture war in the United States has taken over politics on the state and national levels, and the implications of this are larger than many think.
The House of Representatives is legally mandated to contain 435 seats pursuant to the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929. This mandate on the number of congressional districts has remained stagnant despite the fact that the average population in each congressional district has nearly tripled from 280,675 persons in 1930 to more than 760,000 persons today.
Could minting a single trillion-dollar coin help the Biden administration circumvent political and economic havoc?
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